Lisa's Reviews > Wild Men: Ishi and Kroeber in the Wilderness of Modern America

When I first picked up this book, I didn't have high hopes. It was my nephew's book from college that my sister had decluttered when he graduated. If I remember anything about college, it is that the assigned reading was usually pretty dry and boring. I'm so happy I was pleasantly surprised. This book shows people how horrible the situation was for the Native Americans as the white settlers expanded westward through North America. The book begins by describing how groups of men would periodically go out to exterminate the Native Americans living in northern California.

I would have given this book five stars if the main text had been as expressive as the Afterword. The author touches your heart by describing the how the Native Americans view nature as not 'wilderness', but a home where they lived in harmony with Nature. It was only the white man that thought of it as wilderness.

The main story of Ishi and Kroeber was interesting but I felt it was a little too 'matter-of-fact'. Even when Ishi died, I did not get a good sense of what Kroeber's relationship was with him. I would imagine he was saddened and grieving, but it's not really expressed in the text. It was an engrossing read, but it was hard to connect with the main characters through so much presentation of the facts.